Whether or not schools should teach coding in the
classrooms is a highly debated topic in education currently. Coding is
basically telling a computer what you want it to do, which involves using
step-by-step commands for the computer to follow. There are many different “coding
languages”, each one designed to do different things. Coding is important
because it powers our digital world. Websites, smartphones, computer programs,
calculators, and even some household appliances rely on code to operate. This
being said, coders are essentially the architects of the digital age. Some even
consider coding to be the “new literacy”. The ability to write and understand
computer code is becoming increasingly necessary in today’s modern society
where more and more of our lives are enabled by actions of devices and
information systems.
Teaching coding in schools has been controversial. There are
many stigmas associated with coding including that it is for men only, not
women. Some assume it to be as difficult as learning a foreign language when
really all it requires is determination and focus. Coding is important for many
reasons. One huge reason is that it opens up doors for many jobs. Over the next
ten years, it is estimated that there will be 1.4 million jobs in computer
sciences and only 400,000 graduates qualified to fill these jobs. In addition,
jobs in the areas of medicine, journalism, banking, etc will require some
knowledge of programming and coding in the future. Coding also helps develop
important logic and problem solving skills while also allowing for creativity.
Despite all of the research that shows coding is beneficial for students, only
1 in 10 schools are teaching coding.
I included this link because it discusses what coding is as
well as why it should be taught in the classroom. It explains the use for
coding to be successful in the job market in the future.
I included this link because it provides in detail the pros
and cons to teaching students computer science and programming. The author is
in support of teaching programming in schools and explains in detail why
students need to learn how to read and write code to be successful in the long
run.
This link is full of tutorials, materials, and directions
on learning code as well as learning how to teach it.